Emotion Sickness
by xxGUSHINESSxx
Summary: A love rectangle is forming in Titans' Tower and Beast Boy's never been good with shapes. RobStar, BBRae, slight BBStar and RobRae
1. Misinterpretation

He had her at hello.

Not literally of course. She couldn't just throw her feelings at someone from a foreign planet whom she had never met before, although she did throw several other things at him in the beginning. But that was before she knew what "nice" was and how it felt to be around people who were that word.

No, when she thought back on it, it might have been when he told her that he forgave her for acting so hostile and she had explained a little bit of her culture to him.

"Well, things are different here," he had said.

She could still remember the feeling of heat on her cheeks to a point where they must have come out a bright rouge. Although that may have been the first time she had felt "nice,"-for she hadn't felt anything for quite some time being on the Gordanian ship-she wouldn't say that right then was when she fell drop dead in love with the boy. She wasn't that simple. Yet, it didn't take very long after that.

He was her opposite. She was like the day, he was like the night. She thrived in the sunlight; he was at his best when he was among shadows. They were two very different creatures, yet the best of friends.

They would do things that she supposed only close friends did on this planet, such as sit side by side while watching the sunrise, or helping to bake a cake with a mustard filling. She wasn't an expert on Earth culture yet, but she was pretty sure that was what friends did.

However Tamaraneans lived based on their emotions; they couldn't live without them. It was a blessing and a curse. She felt deep emotions for him, so naturally her body wanted to be around him. She often followed him around like a lost puppy, feeding her feelings while keeping them at bay. Everything was strictly platonic though. But she never minded.

Not until he began to do things that confused her. She knew they were close, and she still wasn't familiar with Earthly ways, but sometimes it seemed like he returned her feelings, or was at least aware of the ones she held for him. She didn't want to make a mistake though, because it might only be in her imagination after all. Tamaraneans emotions affect the way they think too.

Anyway, he wouldn't do much. He would rub the back of her hand with his thumb if she was feeling down, or whisper in her ear to tell her something funny or explain something she didn't understand. She knew these were probably normal things and that she should quell the feelings rising inside her, however they were hard to ignore when she could still remember the cool air of his breath on her skin.

Not to say everything was always soft and wonderful. There were times when she felt so disconnected from him emotionally that she thought she could feel her heart strings snapping. She would follow him somewhere, and he would be in a bad mood and tell her to leave him alone. Or she might offer to assist him in work and he would refuse with an answer that was borderline insulting.

She had to remember that he was just stressed out. He didn't mean the things he said and she was just letting her emotions get the better of her.

Like she was letting them right now.

It wasn't like he was doing anything particularly attracting right then; he was just preparing his morning coffee, a newspaper tucked under one arm. Maybe it was the way his hair was tussled from sleep, of his deep voice as he subconsciously hummed as he worked. Whatever it was Starfire couldn't help but watch him, a dreamy expression on her face.

Her eyes were glazed over and her cheeks were slightly flushed. Her hand cupped the right side of her face as she leaned on the kitchen table from across the room; a small smile graced her lips.

The sound of high-pitched chuckling jerked her back into reality though, and her eyes darted to the right where Beast Boy was sitting, his shoulders shaking as he laughed and a gloved hand covering his mouth to muffle the noise.

"Is something the matter friend?" she asked innocently, her eye glancing backwards in Robin's direction before they snapped back. "Do I perhaps have something on my face?"

Beast Boy chuckled harder before removing his hand and muttering, "Just a little drool."

Starfire, not understanding quite what he meant rubbed her chin profusely, causing the changeling to explode with laughter, making the remaining Titans in the room give him looks questioning his sanity.

When he saw the Tamaranean girl blush slightly he gestured for her to lean in so he could whisper to her, once the others had resumed their morning activities that was. Beast Boy cupped a hand to her hear.

"You didn't _really _have drool on your face, Star," he told her, hints of humor still evident in his voice. "But the way you were checking Robin out you might as well have!"

Instead of getting the reaction he wanted from her, she just gave him another look of confusion. "Please, Robin has a price tag?"

He smacked a hand to his forehead. "It means you think he's a hunk!"

"Um…"

Beast Boy scratched his head until a light bulb shined over it. "You think he's attractive!"

Finally understanding, she blushed a deeper shade of red. "That is preposterous! Why would I think he is physically attractive? Not to say that he is not, he does possess a fine physic. However this does not indicate that I have the feelings for him!"

"I never said you did," he reminded her, his eyebrows raised.

She floundered. "Oh! You did not? I merely was providing an answer, and I did not-I mean I suppose…oh my it is quite hot in here is it not?"

Beast Boy patted her on the back sympathetically however he was trying desperately to keep from laughing. "Star, it's okay if you like Robin. Like, _like, _like him. I mean what you see in him I have no clue. Usually I'm the chick magnet."

Starfire giggled at this, having actually been already familiar with the term. "Yes, I suppose now and then you do 'magnet the chicks.'"

He beamed at this.

"Hey is someone actually laughing _with _BB?" Cyborg called over from the couch. "Starfire is he holding you against your will over there?"

"Hey can it, Tin Man! I'm hilarious!"

"You're the best part about my mornings," Raven muttered sarcastically, causing everyone to laugh but Beast Boy himself.

Starfire placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Worry not friend, I find you most humorous!"

"That's because most of the time you're laughing _at_ him Star," Robin piped in from across the room.

The Green Titan's ears drooped, and she was about to come to his aid when the alarm went off overhead, basking the room in an eerie red glow. Everyone groaned.

~0~0~0~

"Presto change-o!"

As the Titans arrived at the scene Beast Boy hastily ducked his head as an abnormally sharp ace card flew by him. As he returned to his normal standing position and glanced behind him he cringed. "Something tells me that would have been a really bad paper cut."

At the sound of the changeling's voice, Mumbo Jumbo turned his attention from the ATMs he was robbing and spread his arms wide as if he were greeting a valued crowd.

"Welcome Titans, one and all," he announced grandly, "no matter if you're large all small, either way you all will fall!"

"Great, he rhymes now," Raven droned.

"And I thought this guy's act couldn't get worse," Beast Boy muttered.

"Hey! I heard that!"

"Titans, go!" Robin declared before they could get anymore off topic.

Raven flew up first, using her magic to lift up a street light from where it was rooted into the ground and bend it into a boomerang shape. She flung the weapon at him however he merely took off his hat and sucked it in, only to have it come shooting out again. The empath widened her eyes and produced a force field, effectively blocking her own rebounded attack.

Cyborg charged next and took a might swing at the magician who merely floated up a little higher above the cybernetic teen's reach. Clearly annoyed, Cyborg unclipped his arm from his body as if it were a rock climbing harness. The arm shot off into the air and began rapidly firing lasers at Mumbo who began to look panicked. He flew backwards and waved his own hands about until they popped off as well, new ones already grown in place.

"You aren't the only one with a new trick up your sleeve my blinking friend," he fired cheekily as his separated hands grew in size and surrounded Cyborg's detached arm. "Nevertheless I can always appreciate a fine stunt. How about I give you a hand?" and he did so by crushing his arm to a pulp between his gloved mits.

"Aw man!" Cyborg moaned, tears pricking his eyes as his arm lay in a crumpled heap a few feet away from him. "That was my good arm!"

"If it makes you feel any better Cy, I always thought you were better as a lefty," Beast Boy offered unhelpfully.

"You will pay for what you did to my friend!" Starfire declared, her eyes a blazing green as she soared into the air to become level with the blue-skinned trickster, who squealed in joy at the sight of her.

"Ah! My lovely assistant has returned!" he gushed, opening his arms again. "Well my dear, we're having some trouble with the doves, do you think you could help?"

Just then at least a dozen doves flew from his sleeves and made a small swarm around Starfire, pulling at her hair or pecking at her uniform. Not wishing to harm them, she twisted and turned uncomfortably, swatting them away half-heartedly.

"Oh! I did not realize creatures of your planet were this persistent!" she cried in distress. Beast Boy took the form of a hawk and flew up to assist her, snapping his beak threateningly at the smaller birds.

Meanwhile, Robin shot his grappling hook to a nearby roof top, trying to get on a level playing field with his opponent. He threw a series of smoke bombs the same time Raven tried to reach a black claw out to grasp Mumbo. The result wasn't pretty for an explosion much larger than the two had intended occurred. The force of the impact blew not only the magician, but the other Titans into a crumpled heap.

Mumbo recovered the fastest and placed a hand on his chin as if he was in thought. He glanced around at the dismantled heroes in front of him and finally shrugged.

"Huh, I guess the show ended quicker than I thought," he mused, getting ready to depart.

"That's what _you_ think!" Robin fired back, attempting to get up but only managing to get even more tangled in Raven's cape, much to the half-demon's annoyance.

"Well ta-ta, Titans, it's been fun, but I really should get going," Mumbo Jumbo chuckled, and turned in the air, waving his own cape around himself. "Now you see me, now you don't!"

And then he was gone with a plentiful amount of money.

~0~0~0~

Groans of frustration echoed off the walls of the training room as each Titan was forced to do another round of battle enhancing practices, set up by none other than the Boy Wonder himself. He, of course, was not pleased at all that they had allowed Mumbo to escape and was convinced that it could have been prevented. So, in fearing that his team was becoming sloppy he had set up a series of obstacle courses and other challenges that pinpointed each of their weaknesses.

"Again," Robin commanded, sweat dripping down his brow. He wiped it away with determination and surveyed Cyborg's fighting skills for a moment more before speaking again. "You need work on your aim. You're just throwing blind punches."

"Man, it's hard when I only have one freaking arm to punch with! Besides I'm _exhausted_,"he growled back, while dodging a blow from one of the robots in the simulation. "We all are. You've had us working all day. At least let us get some lunch."

"Or go to the bathroom," Beast Boy added, gripping himself.

Robin inhaled sharply then exhaled with a puff of anger. "The way we fought today was completely embarrassing. Mumbo shouldn't have been as much of a challenge as he was."

"Brooding about it now isn't going to change things," Raven pointed out. "Neither is working us to death."

"That's what you think, but I'm just preparing all of you. If we let someone like Mumbo slip through our fingers, who knows what other villains we might let escape. It's better to stay on our game."

Beast Boy reached up so he could whisper in Starfire's ear. She instinctively bent down to his level, so he wouldn't have to strain so much considering his probably painfully full bladder. "Honestly, at times like these, I don't know what you see in Boy Blunder over there."

Starfire tried to give him a disapproving look, but she had to admit that she was beyond tired at the moment. Was something troubling him other than Mumbo? Maybe if she tried to talk to him-

"Robin, perhaps if we were to take a short break…" she trailed off hopefully, her eyes showing a little bit of that sparkle.

Robin rubbed a hand over his face. "Not right now, Star," he said irritably. "We need to keep working. Beast Boy, you're up again."

Starfire bit her lip. "But something else troubles you. If we were to only recede for just a moment-"

"I said _not now_!" he snapped.

There was a great moment of stunned silence. Robin almost never yelled like that at anyone, especially Starfire.

"I need to be alone," he muttered, and in a flash he was gone.

The remaining Titans exchanged glances.

"Well, I need to meditate anyway," Raven spoke up finally, and then she too had disappeared.

When Starfire visibly slumped afterwards, Cyborg patted her on the back. "Aw geez, Star, don't look so miserable. That's what we have Robin for."

She sighed. "Perhaps if I had not pestered him so-"

"Hey don't worry about it," Beast Boy told her comfortingly. "Robin just gets all psycho sometimes."

Somehow she didn't look entirely convinced. "Maybe if I went to apologize he would not be mad at me any longer?"

The two boys exchanged glances and shook their heads. There really was no helping the love struck Tamaranean.

"I mean…I _guess_ it's worth a try," Cyborg offered doubtfully. Then a distinct growl interrupted their conversation. "Well, I think I'm going to get some grub."

So the three Titans departed, Starfire making her way towards Robin's room. As she stopped in front of his door, she tried to quell the ball of nervousness inside her as she raised a fist to the door. However the sound of voices halted her actions.

"It's happening again, isn't it?" That sounded like Raven. What was she doing in Robin's room?

Starfire strained her ears to hear his quite response. "I've been trying not to think about it, but that day is coming. It's hard to ignore." He sounded tired and absolutely unlike his fighting self. Starfire had never heard him sound so defeated before.

"I know it's hard. And it's okay to let yourself feel these things sometimes. It's the only way to get over them." That was strange. Raven's voice was…comforting. Not quite all the way to caring, but it was pretty close.

Robin snorted. "Easier said than done."

"True, but it's better than snapping at your friends."

Starfire could tell Robin had paused here, as if he was thinking things over. Finally he spoke again.

"You're right. Maybe I owe her an apology."

"Maybe you do."

He chuckled, "Thanks Raven. You always know what to say. If I'm going to have this bond with anyone…then I'm glad it's with you."

"The feeling is mutual."

Starfire backed away from his door, and moved down the hallway until she was far enough so that she could lean against the wall for support without being noticed. There was a…strange feeling that had built up inside her stomachs and had moved into her chest just now. She wasn't quite sure what it was, but it was unpleasant, and she wished for it to go away.

How was it possible for her to feel sad and frustrated at the same time? She also felt vulnerable, and slightly threatened. The last time she had felt like that was when she had first arrived on Earth. But ever since then, whenever she had faced a problem she had always gone to Robin for help. Then again she supposed that since the problem _was_ Robin she couldn't exactly confront him about it. Suddenly Starfire perked up as someone else popped into her mind.

Maybe she wasn't alone after all.


	2. Phase One

Starfire took a deep breath before she hesitantly knocked on the door in front of her. She hoped it wasn't too early, because right now she really needed to talk to someone. And that someone happened to be the very person who had been supporting her all throughout the day, in matters both concerning and not concerning Robin.

As her knuckles wrapped on the metal door, she bit her lip in anticipation. However she didn't have to wait long as a moan on the other side of the door interrupted her thinking, and a moment later the metal barrier slid open to reveal a disheveled Beast Boy in all his glory. His hair was tussled, and deep bags were apparent under his forest green eyes. He was bare-chested at the moment but he didn't seem to notice for the way he yawned indicated that he was still shaking off sleep.

"Geez Star, what is it, like two in the morning?" he asked groggily, rubbing a hand over his tired face.

Starfire pursed her lips, trying to remember the time on the clock in ops. "I believe it is actually ten minutes before seven, friend Beast Boy," she informed him, nodding, her hair bouncing slightly with the movement.

The changeling merely stared at her blankly. "Exactly, and if I don't get my rest now, this will seriously interfere with my afternoon nap. And let's just say things don't go to well when that happens."

The Tamaranean Princess bit her lip in embarrassment. "My apologies. I should not have bothered you at such an early hour. What I have come to ask of you will have to wait." She stepped away from the door as if to proceed down the hallway when Beast Boy's voice stopped her. Clearly curiosity had taken over.

"Wait," he whined, "you _gotta _tell me now! Oh! Oh! Is it a wicked awesome prank that we could pull on Cyborg?! I still haven't gotten back at him from when he made my skin turn brown. Wow…that was like two years ago. I really need to get my priorities straight," he rambled, oblivious to his teammates growing anxiety.

"No friend, it does not concern manners of pranking or the dying of skin. However," and she glanced warily around when she said this, "Perhaps we should venture into your room to ensure not to be overheard."

Beast Boy seemed to sense the cautiousness that was radiating off of Starfire, for his expression became more serious, not to mention a little worried, and together they entered his room.

They sat in silence for quite a few moments after Beast Boy had re-shirted himself. Starfire was biting her lip anxiously, while also tapping her index fingers together. He was grateful when she finally spoke up.

"You see, I have come to you in the late hours of the night because I beseech your judgment in matters involving a potential romantic development."

You could literally hear the crickets.

Starfire stared ahead blankly, before clarifying. "I am in need of relationship advice."

"Oh!" Beast Boy's eyes lit up with understanding. "Why didn't you just say so? Is it Robin again?"

She nodded. "Indeed it is…and I must admit I feel selfish in coming to you with my problems, for I fear that he and Raven possess feelings for each other that may be more than just ones toward fellow comrades."

"What?!" Beast Boy gasped in shock. "No _way!_ I would have never guessed…Are you sure?"

"Not entirely," she confessed. "However they have always shared a bond, and was it not Robin to seek Raven out during the apocalypse? I sometimes wonder if because they are so much alike that they harbor these feelings toward each other, and it makes me feel…" she trailed off here, gazing at the ground in shame.

"Well don't beat yourself up about it," he told her while patting her shoulder, his eyes full of sympathy. "Wow…Robin and Raven? Who knew? Now that you mention it they _are _a lot alike. I mean they are both wicked antisocial and lock themselves in their rooms. Then there's the fact that they're both birds…"

"I do not know what to do anymore," Starfire murmured, tears pricking her eyes. "If they are in a relationship I do not wish to interfere with their happiness…but I…I-" her voice cut off in a choked sob.

Beast Boy's eyes widened. "Ah! Wait don't cry! We can fix this! Geez, um…how _do_ we fix this?" He scratched his chin for a few moments before a light bulb flickered above his green head. "Aha! I'm a genius!"

"Have you found a solution?" Starfire questioned, her nose a little red.

He nodded eagerly. "All right, so get this. Even if Robin _does _like Raven you have to at least admit that he gets crazy protective over you. It's borderline psychotic if you ask me."

The Tamaranean cocked her head to the side. "Yes, I suppose he does, but I merely interpreted that as the role of a caring leader."

Beast Boy shrugged. "Well sure, he gets like that with all of us I guess, but even more with you. If something happened to you he would lose his marbles."

"Um…I believe I have lost you. Are you planning to slay me?"

He scratched the back of his head. "What I mean is, if he's so protective, that means he'll get crazy jealous if someone else takes you for himself."

Starfire's jaw dropped. "What are you implying?"

The changeling shrugged again. "Well I mean I'd be happy to make him jealous for you. Bird Boy needs to be knocked down a few pegs anyway. My feet still hurt from all those laps he made me run today in practice. Just imagine the look on his face if I was to start flirting it up with you!" he laughed.

Starfire still looked rather uncertain. "Oh, but I do not wish to make Robin upset. And would Raven also not feel well? I feel as though I am lying to them both."

Beast Boy sighed. "Listen Star, you aren't going to say it out loud so I'm gonna have to. Robin's been leading you on this whole time. And if what you've said is true about Raven then he's a bigger jerk than I thought. What we're doing isn't bad. It's just gonna show him what he's missed out on."

She blushed darkly. "I-I thank you friend."

A huge goofy grin spread across the green Titan's face. "No prob. We'll commence phase 1 of Operation Boy Blunder tomorrow!"

"Very well," Starfire responded nodding. She turned to go before throwing her arms around Beast Boy and embracing him briefly before flying out again, feeling much better than she had in a long while.

~0~0~0~

The next morning was seemingly uneventful, however this was because no one-other than Starfire and Beast Boy-had any warning of what was to come.

Cyborg had been busy frying up some eggs and bacon, and was actually slightly suspicious that the changeling hadn't made any nasty remarks about it yet. He watched the green Titan warily with his cybernetic eye while also guarding his breakfast.

Robin was finishing a document on Mother Mae-eye on his laptop before preparing to stealthy sneak up on Cyborg and snatch some of that tasty bacon.

Raven was brewing herself her usual cup of herbal tea, going over the possible novels she could start now that she had finished her latest one. Her thinking was however disrupted as a wave of anxiousness washed over her.

The feelings didn't belong to her of course, rather the twitching Tamaranean seated beside her, her orange fingers fiddling with a strand of loose hair. Raven shrugged it off however; Starfire tended to become nervous over little things, so she assumed it was nothing to pay a real mind to.

Beast Boy on the other hand, she noted, seemed absolutely pleased with himself. He too, was twitching slightly, but it was clearly from excitement. Either that or mischievousness. She rolled her eyes. Whatever he was up to she did _not_ want to be a part of it.

Beast Boy casually slid himself in the space between her and Starfire, and he turned to face the latter, so his back was completely facing the empath. Not that she minded….really she didn't. It was better for him to ignore her. She could finally get a little peace.

He cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair nervously, but the gesture seemed slightly rehearsed. What was going on?

"So, um Star," he began. "I know we've been like friends forever…"

Oh no…he wasn't going to-

"Yes, friend, we have."

"And you're like the nicest, prettiest, person I've ever met."

Raven gripped her tea cup a little tighter. She didn't know what was setting her off, but she didn't like this feeling that was starting to bubble inside her. Those in Nevermore were starting to voice their opinions inside her head.

_What's he doing?_

_ Whatever, as long as he does it quietly._

_ Just tell him to shut up already._

_ Hurry! You'll lose your chance!_

Well that last one was new.

"Beast Boy, that is very kind of you to say," Starfire said, her cheeks getting ever so slightly red.

By now everyone in the room was eavesdropping on their conversation, each taking the words the two were saying differently.

The bacon was burning.

The tea was getting cold.

The laptop turned off by itself.

"Well I was wondering if you, uh, wanted do something later today? Just the two of us?" he asked, a grin plastered across his face. He snuck a quick look at Robin to see his reaction and he almost burst out laughing when he saw his leader's jaw set in a funny angle.

"Oh, Beast Boy I would love to!" Starfire exclaimed, throwing her arms around him and giving him a firm hug. She hoped she did not sound too fake; and she hoped Robin was not too upset with her, if he even cared at all.

Robin exhaled loudly through his nostrils and then slammed the laptop shut with alarming force, causing Beast Boy and Starfire to break apart, and for the remaining Titans to glance his way.

"Well," he said stiffly, his hands clenched at his sides. "Well," he said again.

"Told you he'd be jelly," Beast Boy reached up to whisper into her ear. She nodded ever so slightly, but she still wasn't entirely sure. Robin could just be upset at how this would affect the team. Yes, that was it.

"I have to…" the Boy Wonder trailed off here, and then started to leave the room, only to turn around awkwardly and pick up the laptop before heading off again.

"What's _his_ problem?" Beast Boy said out loud still playing along.

Cyborg shook his head. "Man, if you can't figure it out than you're even dumber than I thought."

Raven remained silent. She had focused all of her energy in quieting her emotions, but now…now that they were gone what did she feel?

She would be lying to herself if she said these past few minutes hadn't affected her. But why had it? Beast Boy was annoying, and weird, and not funny _at all_. Still though, the thought of him and Starfire? It just seemed wrong.

That wasn't the only thing that had affected her. Robin's reaction was unnecessary and frankly a little insulting to her. She couldn't exactly explain why…but it was insulting none the less. Then again, the thought was ridiculous. Raven knew Robin had always had a thing for Starfire; he was gone the second she kissed him. She wanted to roll her eyes. What a fairytale way to go. She was sure that if anyone else had kissed him instead he would be pining for her, not Starfire. Hell, even if _she_ kissed him he would…wait a minute.

"I need to go lie down," Raven spoke up quickly, placing a hand to her head which was now aching dully.

The other Titans looked surprised. "Uh, okay," Beast Boy said, unsurely, but she didn't answer his or anyone else' inquiring looks. She needed to get to her room and meditate.

A long, uncomfortable silence filled the room. Cyborg cleared his throat loudly.

"Well would you look at the time, it's…uh…time for me to get a watch! Heh, I'll uh, just get right on that," and with that he also escaped the awkwardness that was brewing in the room.

"Beast Boy," Starfire spoke up, focusing the changeling's attention on her. "I feel as though we have made a mistake in setting up this façade. Have we not created unnecessary tension among our friends?"

Beast Boy shrugged the idea off. "Ah, don't worry about them, they just can't accept the fact that something different is going on. They're just weirded out by the idea of us going steady…uh…dating," he clarified when he saw the confused look in her eyes. "They'll get used to it, and then Robin will 'win you back' no problem."

"I suppose…" Starfire trailed off uncertainly.

"Don't sweat it, Star, let's just focus on what we're gonna do tonight. That'll get your mind off it."

She cocked her head to the side. "You mean, we are actually going on the date?"

Beast Boy's eyes widened. "What? No! _No!_ Just think of it as…um hanging out between friends," he added hastily, a slight blush dusting over his cheeks.

Starfire clasped her hands together in glee. "Oh! I would very much enjoy that!"

He smiled in response. "Awesome, cuz I know just the place to go…"

**Author's Note:**

_Ah…the calm before the drama storm._


	3. Quality Time

Starfire had only been to the carnival once before and unfortunately that was the time when one of the Centauri Police droids had seized her right from the Ferris wheel cart. That was also the time where she had had her first intimate moment with Robin after she had landed on Earth. Looking back on the memory, it seemed so long ago.

The Tamaranean shook her head to clear the thought. She must not think of Robin now. There was plenty of time to worry about her issues involving him later. Right now she could enjoy her time out with Beast Boy as friends.

The two had opted to remain in their Titan uniforms since it wasn't formerly a date. Besides as far as they were concerned Robin still expected them to be on duty-although the thought of them going anywhere alone still seemed to displease him greatly to Beast Boy's pleasure. Messing with the Boy Wonder was far too easy.

"So, Beast Boy, where shall we journey to first on our time out?" Starfire questioned, her face set in a joyful expression.

Beast Boy scratched his chin in thought. "Huh…well one thing's for sure. We wanna go on all the cool rides. Not something dumb like the Tunnel of Love of the Ferris Wheel."

"Oh, I see," Starfire replied, deflating a little. But if he noticed her slightly crestfallen expression he didn't show it.

"Hey, wait a sec, Star have you ever been on an actual rollercoaster before?" he asked, stopping in his tracks.

Starfire bit her lip in thought. "I do not believe so; however the prospect of it does seem quite intriguing."

"Well prepare to be intrigued!" the green Titan spoke dramatically as he seized her hand and steered her in the direction of the "biggest baddest rollercoaster in town, baby!"

Once they were aboard and safely strapped in, Starfire seized the bar in front of her in sudden anticipation and a little bit of anxiousness. Although the idea of being nervous was preposterous; she could fly for goodness sake! She had fought several disgusting and terrifying monsters on many occasions, so why be scared of a device that was meant to cause little children joy?

Beast Boy seemed to feel her stiffen in the seat beside him because he laughed and patted her hand. "No worries, Star, you're gonna have a blast!"

She smiled at his enthusiasm and sucked in a breath as the ride began to start. As their cart picked up speed, Starfire found herself gaining a sense of a thrill, one that was much different from flying. She shut her eyes for a moment to enjoy the feeling of the wind on her face and through her hair, and she opened them right when the cart dropped what seemed like several hundred feet.

She screamed in joy and threw her hands up in the air, Beast Boy doing the same beside her. She hadn't felt this free in such a long time.

In her opinion the ride ended much too quickly. After they exited the cart, they made their way over to a cotton candy stand and purchased two cones of the pink fluffy stuff. They found a nearby table to sit at and watched the bustling life around them.

"So…what did ya think?" Beast Boy inquired as he scarfed down his cotton candy.

Starfire's face lit up like a light. "Oh the ride was very, _very _enjoyable! I never imagined such speed and energy could be produced from such a device!"

He laughed. "Told you, you'd like it," he said cheekily, and she giggled in response.

Their friendly moment was cut short however as screams broke through the cheery air. The two Titans leaped up, their cotton candy forgotten as they followed the screams to figure out what the commotion was about. As they drew closer to the scene they discovered that the stuffed animals from the prize rack were suddenly running everywhere as if they had been brought to life. Starfire glanced upwards to find that Mumbo Jumbo was cackling like a fool at his latest trick.

Beast Boy groaned when he also discovered who was the cause of the mayhem. "Aw man, not _you _again!"

The blue magician's laughter halted as he glanced down. "Well, well if it isn't two of the Teen Titans. Come to witness my new trick?"

"We certainly have not!" Starfire retorted. "You will be detained for your treachery!"

"Now, now, my dear," Mumbo scolded, "the show has just begun!"

With a magic wave of his wand, and a few ridiculous choice magic words, Mumbo Jumbo produced a string of handkerchiefs that acted as a snake. Starfire flew upwards to avoid the clothed chain as it lunged at her, and Beast Boy joined her in the air as an eagle.

Starfire turned toward him. "I trust you can provide a sufficient distraction?"

He squawked in response and flew higher into the air before spinning much like an air force plane as he dive bombed Mumbo. He tangled himself in the handkerchiefs as a result, but this gave Starfire the advantage she needed.

She shot a carefully aimed starbolt at his hat, successfully knocking it off and proving as another distraction towards the villain.

"Hey, my hat! Now is this any way to treat a performer?" he asked rhetorically as he struggled to get his bearings.

As Starfire dove for the wand, Beast Boy transformed into a tiger, tearing the cloth bonding to shreds. Starfire reached for the wand, but Mumbo tilted his chest toward her and sprayed her face with water from his flower accessory. She flew back slightly and shook the water from her eyes, giving him an annoyed look.

"I believe the expression is, 'not cool,'" she said blandly.

Beast Boy turned briefly back into his original form laughing. "You tell 'em, Star!" he encouraged, before turning into a turtle to shield himself from a wand blast.

"Beast Boy!" Starfire called to him in alarm, and then her eyes quickly glazed over in a green glow. Mumbo was too preoccupied with his latest trick so by the time her eyebolts reached him, it was far too late to react. The wand was knocked from his grasp and sent tumbling through the air; however Starfire quickly snagged it and then tossed it to Beast Boy, who transformed into an elephant this time. As the wand landed on the ground he crushed it, disabling all of Mumbo's creations and powers, while also returning him to his real human form.

"Show's over Mumbo, no curtain call for you," Beast Boy told him once he returned to his natural form. Then his face lit up. "Hey! Who knew I could come up with lame battle puns like Robin?"

Starfire giggled at that.

~0~0~0~

Robin and Cyborg were in the living room when the other two Titans returned, both a bit scratched up from the fight, which peaked the others' curiosity. Beast Boy went into dramatic detail on how he kicked Mumbo's butt single handedly…other than with Starfire's help of course. Robin had remained silent throughout the course of the description, just nodding once the two explained how they returned the villain to the Jump City Prison where he rightfully belonged.

"So…other than that," Cyborg asked slyly, "how was your date?"

Beast Boy looked confused. "Our date? What are you-…oh…OH! Right, our _date!_" he bounced his eyebrows at Starfire who shook her head and giggled at his foolish behavior. "It was awesome, man. Best date I've ever been on."

Robin mumbled something.

"I must agree," Starfire added, "our time together was most enjoyable."

The Boy Wonder raised his head from where he sat on the couch. "So you…really had fun then, Star?" he asked, almost seeming put out…_almost._

Starfire stole a quick glance over to Beast Boy who gave a slight nod of his head in encouragement. "Um…yes?"

Robin actually looked like he was on the verge of having an eye twitch when he just shrugged. "Oh, that's good."

Starfire's shoulders visibly slumped in defeat. It was so noticeable that even Cyborg gave Beast Boy a suspicious glance. However the changeling wasn't finished yet.

"Actually, _Robin_, it is good, since I think we'll go on another awesome date since this one was kinda interrupted." He turned his head and winked at Star so only she could see. She caught on quickly, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

Robin got up from the couch and narrowed his eyes at Beast Boy, surveying him with a look that was worthy of the Bat glare. Finally he just said stiffly, "Just don't let it interfere with your duties," and then he retired to his own room.

Starfire looked somewhat unsure again, but Beast Boy just chuckled. "Hehe…_duties."_

"Man, for real?"

~0~0~0~

Raven took a deep breath as she entered the real world once more. She had spent the last few hours in Nevermore sorting out the complex feelings she was currently…um…feeling. It didn't make sense in her opinion. Why now of all times?

Come to think of it, these new emotions had been bothering her ever since Beast Boy had asked Starfire out on a date. She suspected there was more behind it though, because those two never could keep a secret without someone suspecting something was up. Even if the whole thing was a ruse, why did she still feel jealous?

Wow, okay, let's not go that far. Jealousy was something Raven did _not _feel. That would imply that she would have feelings for Beast Boy, which was entirely absurd. Wow, Robin must be feeling as crappy as her right now since he kind of had it bad for Starfire.

Raven flinched at the thought of that. Now why did that thought bother her too? She had felt the same sense of annoyance and…ahem, jealousy, that morning as well but it was aimed in a different direction that time. Robin was like a brother to her, a friend, nothing more.

She sighed for what seemed like the millionth time that day. She needed to step out a bit to clear her mind. As her door slid open to reveal her hallway, she noticed how Robin had appeared to be passing by at the same time, and he just so happened to stop when her door opened.

Yeah…really not helping her situation right now.

"Um…hey," Raven wanted to cringe at her own pathetic attempt at starting a conversation, but of course her face remained impassive as always.

"Oh, hey Raven," he replied, somewhat distractedly. "You, finally decided to come out of your room?"

"Uh…looks like it," she replied awkwardly. Wow, this was getting worse and worse. She paused. "Is…everything okay?"

Robin straightened. "Yeah…yeah of course it is. Why? Is everything okay with you?"

Raven shrugged. "It's the same I guess." Well that was a lie. "You're sure you're not…upset or anything?"

He flinched, and she knew that she had caught him. "Am I that transparent?"

"The mask isn't doing you much good if that's what you mean."

He sighed. "I'm just surprised is all. I mean _Starfire and Beast Boy?_ Who would have guessed?"

"It _is_ pretty upsetting." Raven swore in her mind. How could she have let that slip? Robin clearly noticed it too because his eyebrows raised. At least they would be if she could have seen them. "…I mean for you, since you are in love with her."

All signs of suspicion and surprise faded from his eyes, and he looked defeated once more. He let out a sigh, bigger than the one before. "I'm not _in love_ with Starfire."

Raven's breath almost caught in her throat. "You're not?"

"I'm not in love with anyone," he explained. "I can't afford a weakness like that. Not when I'm in this line of duty."

"I understand."

Robin gave her a strange look before continuing. "I…I'm just a little confused is all. Like why now do they want a relationship? I mean there was no warning, it's just…" he glanced up and mistook her stoic expression for boredom. "Sorry, it's not really your business. I wouldn't expect you to understand this kind of stuff."

Ouch. That was the wrong thing to say. Robin must have realized it too, because the normally cool leader became a blubbering mess for a moment.

"Oh God, Raven, I didn't mean it like that, I'm-"

"It's okay," she answered honestly. She turned back to go inside her room, completely forgetting why she wanted to go outside in the first place. "Goodnight, Robin."

She didn't wait for his response as the door slid shut behind her. She levitated above her bed and got herself into Lotus position, preparing to descend into Nevermore once again. One of Robin's questions had tattooed itself into her mind. "Why now?" he had asked.

Why now, indeed.


	4. Falling

Starfire slid into a slightly longer skirt than the one she normally wore, as well as a formfitting blouse that was a deep purple. The bottom of the shirt ended just above her waist so a slip of her orange belly was exposed. She wore white flats instead of higher heeled shoe since she was already considerably taller than Beast Boy. She tried to put her hair up in the signature "tail of the pony" but it kept coming out lumpy so she opted to just let her hair flow down naturally as usual.

Beast Boy and she had both agreed to try something a little more casual as far as the dress code went so it would really seem like a date to Robin. Starfire wondered briefly if she should try putting on a little make up for the occasion; however she didn't trust herself to apply it correctly. She just hoped she looked presentable enough.

She glanced at herself in the mirror briefly. Although she assumed everything was in place she couldn't be certain, being from another planet and all. What she needed was the opinion of someone who was knowledgeable, someone who was dependable, and someone who knew everything there was to know about fashion.

"Friend, Raven?" Starfire called as she knocked on the half-demon's door. "Pardon my interruption, but I am in need of assistance."

Raven's door slid open to reveal one indigo eye. From the looks of things she had been in the middle of meditating, or perhaps a good novel and Starfire reddened at this realization.

"Well?" Raven questioned, after a few moments of uncomfortable silence. Starfire started as she remembered her purpose for knocking in the first place.

"Oh, yes! I was simply wondering if my attire was appropriate for a date at the movies?"

Raven raised her eyebrow slightly. "You and Beast Boy again?"

She blushed a deeper hue of red. "Yes, it is our second date. I am most excited and wish to look presentable. Did I not succeed?"

The empath avoided the question. "How does Robin feel about this?" From the look of Starfire's reaction, this wasn't what she was expecting.

"He seems….unbothered." It was the way she avoided eye contact and how she rubbed her arm self consciously that caused Raven to realize it. This whole thing with Beast Boy was fake. Probably some way to make the Boy Wonder mad with jealousy.

"You look fine," Raven said with a sudden shortness. "But if I were you I would be careful when toying with other peoples' emotions." She then slid her door shut, leaving Starfire alone in the hallway.

Raven sighed. Perhaps that was a little harsh, considering the whole thing was probably Beast Boy's idea anyway. She also knew that Starfire was just about lovesick for Robin, so the whole thing between her and Beast Boy wouldn't have made sense anyway. She was just surprised that she would go to such extremes to win the Titan leader's heart. To think about Robin getting hurt emotionally over something like that made her annoyed.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts and picked up her novel before she read into that last thought too much.

~0~0~0~

Starfire placed another handful of popcorn in her mouth and munched heartily as she watched a disgusting slime monster slaughter another one of its victims on screen. She should have known Beast Boy would take her to see a horror movie but she didn't mind. Of course she didn't have Robin's cape to bury her face into when she got scared, however Beast Boy's arm sufficed.

"Are you like totally scared out of your mind?" he asked her, thankful for the dark theater so she couldn't see him blushing at their proximity.

"A little," she admitted. "However I am enjoying myself greatly."

"You are?" Beast Boy inquired in surprise. "I thought you would be kinda bummed having to spend all this extra time with me."

"Oh, do not be so foolish. I enjoy spending time with you greatly, and regret having not done so in the past. However I fear that these 'fake dates' will soon have to come to an end, for Robin has not made any other signs that he is feeling the jealous."

The changeling clicked his tongue. "Well that's not entirely true. He got wicked whacked out when he saw you today. He must think you're mega hot."

"And that is good, yes?"

"Definitely."

"Beast Boy?"

"Yeah?"

Starfire paused. "Robin may not be the only one being affected emotionally by our 'courting.'"

Beast Boy looked at her confused. "Since when were we playing tennis?"

She giggled at his puzzlement. "Forgive me, I simply meant our fake dating."

"Oh, okay, what do you mean?"

"Well Raven was acting most strange today," Starfire mused. "She was short tempered and very defensive."

"Well duh," he drawled. "Have you met her? There isn't a day where she _isn't_ short tempered. Why do you think she smacks me so much?"

"No this time it was different," she insisted. "She was perfectly happy to converse with me up until the point where I mentioned our going to the movies. She slammed the door in my face and I believe I have upset her."

"Huh," Beast Boy said, thinking it over. "That is kinda freaky, but it's not your fault. You never know what's going to set her off. Maybe she's just jealous," he added jokingly.

Starfire sat up straight in her seat. "Perhaps you are right," she spoke softly. "I have always expected that you two have felt something more for each other than mere friendship, and maybe this false relationship has led her to believe in the wrong conclusions. Perhaps she if feeling very hurt that I have taken you away-"

"Wow, _wow,_ Star, where did that come from?" he interrupted her frantically. "I mean like _what_? Think about it, _me_ and _Raven_? That's like…._what?!"_

"I do not understand. I thought you liked Raven."

"Not like _that. _Besides it wouldn't matter anyway because she thinks I'm the most annoying thing on the planet, maybe the universe, maybe the…I can't think of anything bigger," he admitted.

"I do not believe that is entirely true," she replied thoughtfully.

Beast Boy looked up at her curiously. "What makes you say that?"

"Well how could anyone resist the pointy ears?"

He gave a wide toothy grin at that.

~0~0~0~

The two Titans returned to the tower rather late, so only Cyborg was in ops, making a midnight snack for himself. He smiled in acknowledgment towards Beast Boy and Starfire and they smiled in return, Beast Boy offering to walk Starfire to her room before joining Cyborg for some grub.

He had had such fun with Starfire these past few days that he wished they could last a little longer. It didn't help the fact that her door was approaching way too soon for his liking. When they finally reached the destination, he smiled shyly at her and wished her a goodnight. She did the same but then she did something entirely out of the blue.

She _kissed_ him!

On the cheek.

But _still!_

That was weird wasn't it? Or was he making more out of it than he was meant to? He was just being a good friend and besides, this was _Starfire_ he was talking about. She always did these touchy feely things anyway.

It took Beast Boy a few moments to realize that he was thinking all of these things alone in the hallway, as Starfire had already retired for the night. It only took the rumbling of his empty stomach for him to remember what to do next though.

He joined Cyborg in the kitchen a few minutes later, already making his way to the freezer so he could pop some tofu waffles in the toaster. Cyborg must have been in a reasonably good mood, either that or he was just completely out of it because he didn't complain of the smell of tofu much to Beast Boy's surprise.

Actually it was beginning to get so awkward in their silence that Beast Boy almost wished he would complain. Why was it so uncomfortable? It was like a giant weight on his shoulders and he wasn't sure how or where it came from. Finally, Cyborg spoke up.

"So…are you guys _really_ going out?" he asked skeptically.

Beast Boy burst out laughing. Wow, he knew he was good, but he didn't know he was good enough to fool Cyborg! It was almost too much to handle.

"Are you kidding, dude? This whole thing was a scam to get Robin to get all 'jealousy' and it totally worked! Aw, you should have seen your guys' faces when we told you. You all totally believed it!" he laughed again.

Cyborg sighed in relief. "Thank God man, I mean I knew you were stupid, but I didn't think you were stupid enough to go messing around with Rob's girl. So then where did you guys go today, and a few days ago when you took down Mumbo?"

The waffles popped and Beast Boy set them on a plate. "Well we still went on dates andstuff, but it wasn't like a _date, _date. It was more like a…we should totally hang out as friends to totally tick off the guy you're not so secretly, secretly crushing on, date. It's nothing else."

Cyborg cocked an eyebrow. "You're sure about that."

"I have never been more sure-er of anything in my entire life," he responded dramatically.

"And you don't think anything is going to…you know…develop?" he asked skeptically once more.

Beast Boy scoffed. "Heck, no." He picked up his plate with the waffles on it so he could lean his back up against the counter casually. He took a massive bite out of one of the tofu snacks and swallowed. "Don't get me wrong though, I still had a blast."

Cyborg nodded. "That's good man, glad to hear it."

He smiled. "I mean, I've never really spent time with Starfire like that before and it was wicked awesome! She's like the nicest person ever, although I already kinda knew that. But anyways she also like super, super, smart and really funny. Plus she laughs at all my jokes so that's a bonus."

"Careful man, you might end up falling for Robin's girl," Cyborg teased, wiggling his eyebrows.

Beast Boy rolled his eyes. "Already told you man, not gonna happen. Where was I? Oh, yeah, and she knows like stuff about humans that I didn't even know! Not to mention she is sooooo happy all the time. She also has the cutest laugh and it's-"

He dropped his plate on the ground where it shattered into a million pieces. Cyborg looked at him in alarm, his eyes demanding an explanation. Beast Boy just stared back at him with his mouth wide open and his eyes as round as saucers.

"_Dude,_ I think I'm in love with Starfire."

**Author's Note:**

_And so the drama begins…Sorry the chapter was a little short. This is the shortest chapter in the whole story though._


	5. Churning Feelings

"I do not understand. You wish to continue the fake dating?"

"Only cuz I think Robin's finally starting to notice, ya know?" Beast Boy assured her. "In fact, this morning he was totally like, 'Beast Boy you're so lucky' and so that means he's probably like soooo jelly right now." Well that wasn't an entire lie. Cyborg had teased him earlier about _getting _lucky but he didn't want to bother Starfire with the details. Besides he didn't want their time together to end so soon just because Robin was being Robin.

"Well if you insist, I trust your judgment," Starfire replied smiling. "Besides, I have been having the fun with you these past couple days."

Beast Boy's grin grew wider. "Me too." His smile faltered slightly. He was feeling a little guilty, even if he was telling the truth…mostly. "Actually um, Star, I need to tell you something important."

"Of course, friend, what is it?" she asked, cocking her head to the side, her beautiful green eyes wide with curiosity.

He scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. "Well I don't really know how to say this but I think I-"

"Hey y'all! Hurry up, up there. Rob says it's a nice day out so we're all going to the park. I made a picnic and everything so BB don't you dare put your damn tofu in my basket, ya got that?!" Cyborg called up from wherever he was situated in the tower currently.

"OKAY JEEZ I GET IT!" Beast Boy screamed back. "I'm totally gonna put tofu in that basket," he added to Starfire, wiggling his eyebrows, and earning the reward of hearing her tinkling giggles.

"I shall go prepare, I will see you shortly…_boyfriend_, Beast Boy," she said, winking, before hurrying off.

He just couldn't help standing there for a few moments longer, smiling like an idiot. Unfortunately Raven happened to just be exiting her room at that second and she had noticed the little exchange between the two. She had to admit, she was a little surprised. Not only had she sensed a slight stirring of emotions within Beast Boy, but the look on his face said it all. Could he really be falling in love with the Tamaranean? If so, then things were going to get way more complicated.

Normally if Raven saw something like this she would just ignore it; she was never one to get involved with drama and other peoples' emotions. Still, since she herself had been experiencing a few unfamiliar feelings of her own, she decided that it was probably a good idea to intervene before somebody got hurt. Even if it was Beast Boy.

"What are you doing?" she asked blandly.

He jumped at the sound of her voice. Clearly he was unaware of her presence. "Jeez, Rae you shouldn't sneak up on people like that. It's mega creepy."

"I'm going to ignore that."

Beast Boy blushed. "Oh sorry I…what was the question again?"

Raven rolled her eyes. Why did she even bother? "I said, what are you doing?"

"Just standing here, I guess."

"You know what I mean. I mean what are you doing with Starfire?" she clarified.

His blush grew deeper, but he attempted to play it off. "Why? Are you jealous, Rae-Rae?"

"Hardly, but I can tell whatever is going on between you two isn't as real as you make it out to be."

Beast Boy narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

It just dawned on Raven of what she was doing. "…Never mind, forget it." She began to walk away.

"What? You're just gonna leave me hanging? Not cool Rae, not cool," he called after her.

She turned around once more and looked him straight in the eyes. "Don't call me that." And then she left him once again alone in the hallway.

~0~0~0~

Robin wasn't lying, it was a beautiful day. The weather was warm and the sun was shining healthily above. It was so alluring that Starfire immediately sat down in the grass and slowly lay down to stare up at the sky, soaking in the rays of the sun.

Raven, who had always been Starfire's opposite in a way, opted to sit under a tree instead where she began to quell her suddenly unnaturally churning emotions by meditating. It wasn't long before she entered another world.

Cyborg started unloading the picnic basket, pausing to twitch his eye at the few tofu foods that had somehow managed to make their way into the basket. Beast Boy debated whether to sit by Starfire or defend his tofu but he finally chose to deal with the latter first, considering Cyborg was about to throw away his lunch. Starfire could wait.

This was when Robin took the initiative. It had been so long since he had had one on one time with his best friend, and frankly, it was making him miserable. He wanted things to go back to the way they were before. Before…gulp…her and Beast Boy…He carefully sat down next to her so as not to disturb her. She looked so peaceful with her eyes closed. After a few moments of staring, she opened her eyes and his darted away so she wouldn't think he was creepy or something.

"Oh! Hello Robin! It is a beautiful day is it not?" she questioned, smiling up at him.

He returned her smile. "Yeah, it is. I'm glad we could get away from the tower for a little while. It's a nice change of atmosphere."

"Indeed it is. Perhaps we can play some of the Earthen sports games? I do enjoy them greatly."

"Yeah, that would be fun actually. That is, if I can ever keep up with you," he responded cheekily, and she blushed. He beamed internally. Maybe there was still hope for him after all. The idea of her and Beast Boy was just preposterous. Right now he was probably stuffing his mouth with tofu and he was expected to believe that he and Starfire were going out? Something must be going on.

A few minutes later everyone joined up again to eat lunch which mostly consisted of hamburgers and the occasional tofu dog, or in Starfire's case, mustard. At one point the Tamaranean girl had some dribbled mustard on her chin, so of course Beast Boy being the gentleman that he was, wiped it off for her, much to Robin's irritation. Cyborg watched the pair warily and shook his head at times, but even he had to admit that seeing Robin all grumpy was worth the laugh.

When lunch was over Beast Boy lay out a blanket for him and Star to sit on. He made a grand gesture toward the area, and Starfire, taking his cue, gratefully joined him. They talked for a bit and Beast Boy only then realized how often she would glance to the side at Robin to look for his reaction to what they were doing. It almost made him kind of sad.

"Hey Star, Beast Boy, we were gonna start a game of football if you guys wanted to join," Robin finally intervened, with the ball already in his gloved hands.

Starfire opened her mouth the reply but Beast Boy was quicker to answer. "Yeah, sure dude, we'll be over in a second…after we finish talking about our _feelings."_ Starfire covered her mouth so her smile would go unnoticed.

Robin visibly tensed and then snorted. "The only feelings you have would involve tofu and Mega Monkeys 4."

Starfire gasped out loud at the harshness but Beast Boy seemed unharmed. He expected that Robin would get snappish after a while, and although the comment did hurt, he already had a way of getting back at the Boy Wonder.

"Whatever dude," he shrugged. "We'll be there soon."

When Robin left Beast Boy leaned over to whisper in Starfire's ear. "You know, it's okay if you kiss me. Robin wouldn't even see it coming. It wouldn't mean anything; it's just a transfer thingy right?"

She leaned back in hesitation. "Oh, I am not sure. I believe that would be taking things too far, yes?"

"Maybe, but it would sure make him jealous," he insisted.

Starfire tapped her index fingers together and opted instead to kiss him lightly on the cheek, leaving a trail of red blush on his skin while also making another boy red for a different reason.

From across the clearing Raven shut both her eyes again, not even realizing that they were open in the first place. Cyborg glanced uncomfortably between the other two male Titans and sighed. If Beast Boy was really dumb enough to fall in love with Starfire then they had a real problem on their hands. He decided to end the scene before it escalated into something worse.

"Hey Starfire, you're on my team, okay?" he called over to her.

She jumped up immediately her eyes filled with joy over being chosen first. "Glorious! I cannot wait to foot the ball!"

Beast Boy growled under his breath. The last thing he wanted was to be on Robin's team. The two Titans had clashed a few times before and had never really apologized to each other, so how were they expected to get along when Starfire was in the picture. The answer was they couldn't.

As Starfire hiked the ball to Cyborg and then ran ahead to receive the ball, Raven watched from under the trees. She wasn't surprised that the others hadn't asked her to play. She would have declined anyway if they had asked, but their lack of questioning made her feel strangely left out, even if she usually operated on her own anyway. She could have taken Beast Boy's place, or maybe Starfire's. Whatever, she was better off under the trees alone. Still she couldn't help but watch each Titan cautiously, for there were churning emotions inside each of their bodies.

Meanwhile Cyborg finally launched the ball at Starfire who had to jump to catch it due to Robin's great defense. As she landed on the ground she stumbled backwards, desperately grabbing for something to hold onto as she toppled down a small grassy hill. Unfortunately for Robin, his shirt was the leverage she needed so he followed soon after and they landed in a crumpled heap at the bottom.

"Wow are you guys, okay?" Beast Boy asked as he raced over to them, Cyborg right behind him. Robin was just getting off of Starfire who seemed to be in some sort of daze, for she had not yet gotten up. The football was a few feet beside her on the ground forgotten. "Star?" he pressed and she blinked before rising.

"We're fine," Robin assured them, and then glanced up at the clouds forming above. "But we should go home. It looks like there's going to be a storm soon."

~0~0~0~

Raven noticed that Starfire was suspiciously quiet on the way home to the park. The boys were chatting it up just fine and usually she would offer up a joyful comment that would want to make the empath cringe but today there was nothing. How odd. Maybe she should talk to her later. She had never officially apologized for snapping at her that one time, and knowing Starfire, she took everything to heart.

Cyborg parked the car in the garage and the Titans exited, stretching their limbs before heading towards the ops room to watch TV or get a snack of some sort. Just before they were about to enter Raven stopped them.

"I sense something. Two somethings actually," she informed them.

"In the tower?" Cyborg questioned. "Not with _my_ security systems."

"Be on your guard Titans," Robin told them. "We don't know what's on the other side of that door."

"Perhaps they are friends?" Starfire suggested. "In that case we should greet them with warm-"

"Robin's right," Raven interrupted, earning curious glances from the male teammates, and she looked down before she could do something stupid like blush. Cyborg entered in the code shortly after that and they burst into the room, in a majestic battle stance.

"Wow, do you guys ever stop being so heroic?" Jinx inquired leaning against the back of the couch.

"How did she get in here?" Cyborg asked, as the Titans lowered their fighting stance. A moment later Kid Flash appeared at Jinx's side with a soda and a turkey sandwich.

"I think you mean how did _we _get in here," he corrected then took a bite of his lunch. "Mind if we crash for the night?"

**Author's Note: **

_Coming up: some epic party games. (Drama ensues)_


	6. Party Games

Raven and Starfire acted as good hostesses and showed Jinx to her room for the night while the boys did something along the lines of a gaming marathon, and just basically acted like guys. The room they showed her was simple, without too much color or real pattern to it. Raven considered showing her to Terra's old room but she hadn't been there in a while and would prefer not to venture there any time soon.

Starfire was busy keeping Jinx occupied by asking her tons of questions about her relationship with Kid Flash, or her new life as a hero. She was even insightful enough to inquire how she got into the tower in the first place with its advanced systems and this even peaked Raven's curiosity.

"How _did_ you get in here anyway?" she asked finally, interrupting Starfire's flow of questions.

Jinx shrugged. "Simple, just a little bad luck," she told them, snapping her fingers and electing a spark of purple energy to demonstrate. She pranced over to her bed and sat on it, testing the mattress. "Wow, this is comfy." She glanced up at the other female Titans. "So do you think it would be too much to ask if you could catch me up on the drama around here? I'm a little lacking in that department."

"I don't really gossip," Raven said the same time Starfire questioned, "Drama?"

Jinx smiled "Oh come on! You don't expect me to believe you guys don't gossip every once in a while?"

The two exchanged glances. Jinx patted the space on the bed beside her, indicating for them to take a seat. Starfire and Raven both reluctantly took a seat and Jinx folded her hands in her lap expectantly.

"Okay, so who do you guys have crushes on?" she began eagerly. However her smile faded when neither girl answered her. "And trust me I _know_ you two have got to have crushes. It's written all over your face!"

"It is?" Starfire asked worriedly, while kneading the skin on her forehead. Jinx glanced at Raven who merely shook her head and placed a hand on Starfire's shoulder to calm her.

"She means she can tell from your expression," she explained dully.

While Starfire relaxed, Jinx nodded preparing to continue. "Even when I was fighting you guys in battle I noticed that _you_ always had a soft spot for a certain boy in tights," she told the Tamaranean winking.

Starfire blushed, while Raven began to feel very uncomfortable. "I did not realize it was so obvious…but that was a long time ago," she added hastily, glancing at Raven.

Jinx beamed, glad that she had finally drawn out a response from one of the girls. "What do you mean, 'a long time ago' do you not like him anymore?"

"I um, have the boyfriend."

Raven fought not to roll her eyes while Jinx gasped in astonishment. "What?! Really? Who is it? Someone I know?"

Starfire rubbed her arm self-consciously. "It is…Beast Boy."

Jinx was prepared to gasp again when she noticed the upset expression on Starfire's face. Raven noticed it too of course, but she already knew why she was feeling the way she did. The whole thing was a façade after all.

"You don't sound too happy about it," Jinx observed.

"No!" Starfire burst out. "I do like Beast Boy very much, but I am…confused from recent events."

"What recent events?" the empath let the words slip out before she could stop herself.

Star blushed again and made embarrassed eye contact with her teammate. "It was during the game of the football today. I…when Robin had tackled me and we fell out of sight, we landed in a most…suggestive position. And he…," she trailed off here.

Raven felt her heart sink while Jinx pressed on. "What? What did he do?"

Starfire bit her lip. "He kissed me."

~0~0~0~

"How about some party games?" Kid Flash suggested when everyone had eaten a meal which consisted of pizza. "Jinxy and I haven't been to a real get together in _ages!_"

"It's been tragic," Jinx deadpanned, and everyone laughed, that was except for Raven.

She was feeling a bunch of emotions that were mostly negative and the last thing she wanted to do was spend time playing pointless games with a bunch of people. She just wanted to crawl back to her room and never come out again.

How could he? Robin had never been hers, but she had thought that maybe…whatever, it was stupid to think that he could ever like someone like her. Beast Boy said it himself, she was just downright creepy.

"Oh! _Oh!_ We should play Truth or Dare!" said changeling spoke up suddenly, interrupting her troubled thoughts.

Basically everyone groaned except for Starfire who just looked confused until Robin leaned over to explain the rules to her. Beast Boy frowned at the lack of response he was getting however Kid Flash was absolutely willing to second his vote.

"Come on guys, it won't be that bad," he told them confidently. "Look, I'll go first. Beast Boy, truth or dare?"

"Dare, dude, definitely dare."

"I dare you to eat three slices of ham from the refrigerator," he said wiggling his eyebrows.

The shapes shifter visibly paled while Cyborg laughed. "Aw, man, I have _got _to see this!"

"Make sure you swallow," Jinx added as he went over to the refrigerator and shakily took out the deli sliced ham.

"I bet he's used to that," Kid Flash cheeked which earned a slap from both her as well as Raven. As much as the empath didn't want to admit it, it was slightly satisfying seeing Beast Boy squirm over something as simple as eating meat.

After he swallowed the slices he washed it down with a glass of soy milk and was breathing heavily for the next thirty seconds. When he regained his breath he narrowed his eyes at the still laughing Cyborg. "Truth or Dare?" he asked menacingly.

"Come on BB, you know I'm gonna pick dare," he said grinning confidently.

"Well I dare you to pick truth."

"Hey that's cheating!" Cyborg complained.

"No, I have to agree with Beast Boy," Robin mentioned. "I don't see a rule book anywhere."

The green Titan gave a large toothy grin while Cyborg groaned. "Fine, whatever. Truth?"

"Do you still have a crush on Jinx from when you went undercover in Brother Blood's evil school?" he asked smiling evilly.

Both Jinx and Cyborg made eye contact and blushed heavily, opting to stare at the ground instead. Kid Flash just folded his arms. "Not cool man, not cool."

Beast Boy shrugged, as he rejoined the circle of heroes. "Well, do ya?"

"Not anymore," Cyborg admitted. "I've moved on, so nice try." He stuck his tongue out at his best friend who merely shrugged again.

Several more rounds went on, where some turns consisted of Robin dressing in Starfire's uniform for a few turns, and Cyborg admitting that he had a little crush on Bumblebee. Starfire also ended up drinking a mixture of disgusting foods blended together, not that she seemed to mind. Even Raven admitted that she thought Aqualad was handsome…sort of. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, until Robin unintentionally made a comment about Terra during one of Beast Boy's truths that made him want to rip the boy's throat out.

Raven was surprised by the sudden jolt of anger that she felt inside Beast Boy. She didn't know he was capable of such feelings. Robin was out of line by even mentioning Terra, but he seemed oblivious to the emotional pain he caused him, as did everyone else in the room except for her.

So that's why she knew _exactly _what was going through Beast Boy's mind when Kid Flash said his next dare.

"Beast Boy…" he began, scratching his chin in thought. "I dare you to…kiss the hottest girl in this room!"

_Please, don't be stupid enough to follow through with this, _Raven begged silently. She suspected that she wasn't the only one in the room who knew what he was about to do, including Robin, who's expression had turned from joyful to menacing.

Jinx shot a panicked look at Raven and then had her eyes travel back and forth between Robin and Beast Boy. She grabbed Kid Flash's arm and hissed in his ear to take it back, but her boyfriend just gave her a confused look.

Beast Boy smiled directly at Robin before placing himself right in front of Starfire who looked as though she was ready to faint. He then leaned in and planted a long lingering kiss on her lips, and then he pulled away, leaving her with a shocked expression on her face.

"B-Beast Boy, I…" she trailed off uncertainly.

The silence in the room was unbearable. So everyone started when Robin jumped up from where he sat on the ground and stomped out of ops. Starfire stood up as if to follow him, reaching her hand out, only to drop it by her side again. Even Beast Boy seemed unsure of his actions now.

Raven cleared her throat and stood up. "I'm going to my room," she announced, and then left the vicinity.

"As am I," Starfire said sadly, and hurried away, Beast Boy departing not too long after that.

Cyborg awkwardly stretched and gave some excuse about having to recharge his battery and then he too was gone until it was just Kid Flash and Jinx. The red head smiled sheepishly at his girlfriend who shoved him and crossed her arms.

"See, this is why we don't have any friends."

~0~0~0~

After a few minutes in her room, Raven decided that the air was too stuffy to meditate, so she decided to clear her head by venturing up to the roof. She hadn't been up there in ages since it wasn't really her place to go to; it was more like Robin and Starfire's.

Now that thought left a bitter taste in her mouth. Since when had she become so petty with emotions such as these?

Once she was on the roof and had closed the door behind her however she realized that she wasn't alone. She could make out the dark figure of her leader in the moonlight.

Perfect.

She held in a sigh. He was honestly, the last person she would want to see right now, except maybe Starfire…or Beast Boy for that matter, but that was beside the point. Bottom line was she really wasn't looking for company right now.

Robin's back was to her and she didn't know if he knew she was there or not, but her guess was that he did realize her presence. It was just like him. She decided it was too late to try to leave so she just calmly walked beside him, her hood drawn over her face as usual. They just stood there in silence for a few moments, and Raven had to admit it was sort of nice.

"Do you think I overreacted?"

Raven frowned as she opened her eyes. Since when had she closed them? She wasn't really the type to console but Robin needed a friend right now, so she supposed she had to be the one to help him.

"What?"

"Because I tend to overreact," he continued, oblivious to her inquiry. He muttered something else too that Raven couldn't quite catch but interpreted it as 'when it comes to her.'

"Shouldn't that be up to Starfire?" she asked, and then regretted it as soon as she had said it. Now it was like she was playing matchmaker. She would never do anything to sabotage Robin and Starfire's potential relationship, but helping it out was more than she could bear, especially with how she had been feeling about Robin lately.

Robin sighed. "Maybe you're right…I just…don't know what to think anymore Raven. I don't know if this thing between her and Beast Boy is-"

"It's not."

He looked at her in surprise before his face returned to a stoic expression. "I think I knew that all along. I just didn't know Beast Boy was such a good actor."

"He isn't," Raven muttered, and when Robin glanced at her again she wanted to seriously slap herself. She knew better than to just admit someone else's feelings, especially if it was as strong as love. She had just basically admitted to Robin that what Beast Boy felt for Starfire was as real as what she felt for him. Good thing she didn't mention the latter.

"Yeah, I kinda figured that," Robin spoke softly. "But what about you, Raven?"

"What about me?"

"What do you think about this? About them, I mean. Doesn't it bother you at all?"

Raven narrowed her eyes. "If you're implying that I'm jealous-"

"Forget it," he snapped, then took a deep breath and rubbed his hand over his face. "Sorry…I shouldn't have…sorry."

"It's fine," she told him, not at all offended. She expected he would react this way. Feeling bold suddenly she added, "Maybe I am jealous…just not for the reasons you think."

He jerked his head up. "What do you mean?"

Raven suddenly thanked Azar that is was dark so he couldn't see her blush. She couldn't stop herself now, and she didn't even know if she wanted to. "I-I just know how Beast Boy feels…to love somebody who they know will always be in love with someone else."

He didn't respond. And the longer he stayed silent the worse she felt. She needed to leave.

"Never mind," she said softly, feeling tears prick her eyes. It was foolish. The whole thing was foolish to think that somebody could ever love her back. She began to back away but Robin grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him.

"Raven listen I…" he must have realized how close he was to her because he released her shoulders. He also must have noticed the tears in her eyes too because he looked so confused all of a sudden.

He then drew her in all at once, embracing her tightly. She buried her head in his chest and tried to will her tears to go away. They did after a few moments and she was grateful. The moment of their closeness was short lived though, after they both heard the sound of what could only have been a communicator dropping on the ground. They broke apart to see Starfire hastily retrieving her T-comm, and Raven noticed how she was very red in the face from embarrassment.

"Oh! My apologies," she murmured. "I simply came up to think and I…I did not mean to intrude." She fled before either could say anything.

**Author's Note: **_I feel bad for each Titan as I am writing this. Just listen to how confusing this seems: Robin is in love with Starfire who thinks he loves Raven who really does love him, who is unaware that Cyborg knows the whole thing with Beast Boy and Star when Beast Boy really does love Star, while she loves Robin who thinks that it's possible that she might still love Beast Boy._

_Ah, still more drama to come!_


	7. As a Team

The tension within Titans' Tower had not faded even a few days after Jinx and Kid Flash had left. Because of all the drama they had accidently caused, after breakfast Jinx had hurried her boyfriend out the door at such a speed that would put even him to shame.

Poor Cyborg seemed to be all in the middle of the fighting. He didn't want to get involved since he knew it wasn't any of his business in the first place, yet it felt wrong to just sit on the sidelines. However he didn't even know what was going on half the time to offer any real assistance anyway, so he just stayed out of the way, hoping the matter would be resolved sometime soon.

Beast Boy sought to explain himself to Starfire who was not feeling up to seeing anyone other than Cyborg presently. She still suspected that Robin and Raven were a couple, which was why she couldn't understand why they seemed to be avoiding each other as well.

Robin wasn't ashamed or regretful for hugging Raven. His arms would always be open if she needed them because that's what friends did. He had never realized that she had been recently thinking of him as so much more though.

And finally Raven herself did not ever wish to see Robin or Starfire again. She was too humiliated by her confession of her feelings for Robin and equally upset about the whole Starfire thing. She wasn't so much bitter as she was guilty which was odd. She almost felt like Robin was cheating on Starfire by embracing her the way he did, even if the idea was preposterous. She had spent the past few days in her room, avoiding everyone and everything. That seemed to be the same plan amongst the rest of the Titans. Maybe this whole thing would blow over soon without any problems.

Then the alarm rang.

~0~0~0~

Control Freak had been spotted outside a video store downtown, and as one of Jump City's villains, the Titans were immediately notified. However as they met the mega geek outside of the department building, they were a little less than unified.

"Surrender while you can, Control Freak!" Robin declared with his usual dramatic pose, even if his voice sounded less confident than normal. Still, the rest of the Titans stood rigidly behind him, drama or no drama.

"Why if it isn't the _Teen Titans!_" Control Freak fired back, a bundle of movies still in his hands. "I see you've come to shut me down but oh contraire my spandex clad foes, I have committed no recent crime!"

"Yeah, right," Beast Boy retorted. "You probably stole all those awesome movies!"

"They are awesome aren't they?" he smiled dreamily before snapping back to the present. "I can assure you I have purchased these fairly you super-powered fools, however if it's a fight your looking for, prepare to tremble in fear!" In one solid spasmodic motion he dropped the movies and removed a remote control from his breast pocket, aiming it at the teen heroes.

"Titans, go!" Robin shouted, and they sprang into action as usual.

Cyborg was the first to charge Control Freak. He swung a few decent punches that only just missed the villain because he was retreating so much. The look of fear in his eyes was relevant so it was only natural that he would use his remote to save him from being beaten to death by the cybernetic teen.

As he pressed a button and pointed the control at a nearby dumpster it came to life and chased after Cyborg, moving its lid up and down in motions that mimicked Pac-Man.

"Wow! Hey! Now is _not_ time to take out the trash!" he protested while fleeing for his life.

Control Freak was too busy cackling over his latest scheme to notice that Robin had used a grappling hook to encircle the remote control. However before he could yank it out of the villain's grasp, the super dweeb placed a death grip on the rope, making it too heavy for Robin to retrieve. Instead he gave a tug of his own causing the Teen Wonder to unbalance his position from atop a car and land face down on the pavement.

"_Ooh_," Beast Boy sarcastically sympathized. "Sucks to suck, bro. Let me show you how a _real _man does it!" With that he transformed into a brontosaurus before Robin had time to fire back an insult of even give him a nasty glare. Beast Boy swung his giant tail at Control Freak hoping to knock him to the ground; however he managed to just barely scramble to the ground in time, so his tail knocked over an eighteen wheeler instead.

Beast Boy returned to his normal form, laughing nervously, while Robin brushed himself off, gritting his teeth at the fool.

"Wow, very manly," Raven deadpanned, earning her a glare in response.

Ignoring his dirty looks she rose into the air and summoned her magical words, using her powers to lift the truck back where it belonged while also managing to shoot several letters from their nearby mailboxes. They seemed to target Control Freak who realized the danger he was in and dove behind a fire hydrant.

He suddenly smiled as an idea struck him and sure enough he aimed the remote at it and pressed another button. The water spurting from the hydrant drenched the letters before they could reach him, ultimately turning them into soggy clumps. Raven's energy left them and they fell to the ground, useless.

"Looks like somebody's not getting their mail," Beast Boy narrated, and it was Raven's turn to glare at him.

"It is my turn!" Starfire declared as she summoned the power and happiness to take to the air, her hands already glowing.

Control Freak watched from the ground in amazement, his eyes shining with admiration. "Starfire! The ultimate alien powerhouse!" He clasped his hands in front of his chest as if he were marveling a new video game.

Beast Boy slide beside him and joined him in his stance. "I know right, dude? She's so cool."

Robin and Raven exchanged bland glances.

"Yo, BB," Cyborg called, just before Starfire prepared to launch herself in a downwards spiral, "Wipe the drool from your mouth and take his sorry ass down!"

"What?" both Beast Boy and Control Freak asked, just being broken from their daze, when Starfire threw the latter back with her eyebeams. The couch potato flopped to the ground in a painful heap.

Starfire relaxed her battle stance from high up in the air, craning her neck to see if he was in capitated. However Control Freak gave a painful grunt and hoisted himself up, this time pointing to the video store behind him.

"You'll pay for that, my dear," he declared pressing the remote's button yet again.

This time the TVs were brought to life and the characters from the show they were displaying jumped right out of them! Sure enough the creature from 'It Came From Jones Lake' popped out as well as the 'Quiz Monkey.' Starfire made a noise of discomfort at the sight of the foaming animal.

However she had other things to worry about for the swamp monster from the horror movie was too close for comfort so when he swiped at her she went sailing into the air and began to plummet with a screech.

"Oh! Oh! I got her!" Beast Boy shouted, rushing towards her with open arms.

"Oh no you don't!" Robin growled running from the opposite direction with his arms outstretched. Catching Starfire was _his_ thing after all, romantic feelings aside.

Unfortunately for both of them though their gazes were both locked in the sky so they didn't see each other until it was too late. Their heads clashed together painfully as they collided, Starfire making an indent in the pavement a little ways off from them.

Control Freak laughed at their antics as they began to argue again. Starfire lifted her head shakily from where she was planted in the ground as if she were seeing stars. Raven would have come to her aid however the Quiz Monkey chose to strike at that time by jumping on her back and wrapping its arms tightly around her torso.

She swiped blindly at it, growling in annoyance. "Why do I always get stuck with the drooling ones?"

Meanwhile Control Freak was just having a field day. "Oh, this is better than anything on TV these days!" he snorted.

Cyborg once having defeated the dumpster fired his arm cannon at the swamp monster while also blasting him with the rocket in his boot. The beast seemed to show fear on his face as the teen readied his cannon again, preparing to fire. Instead of choosing to battle him again however he ran back into the video store and leapt back in the TV where he could be safe.

"Yo!" Cyborg called over to Control Freak. He aimed his sonic cannon directly at him. "This ends now!"

However before he could fire, a particularly nasty word rose up from the argument that was rapidly heating up between Robin and Beast Boy. Everyone seemed to be entirely focused on them. Even the Quiz Monkey had stopped its struggling to see what was going on, giving Raven the chance to detain him.

"-Well maybe if you weren't flirting with Raven all the time-"

Said empath accidently made a window explode from hearing her name used in that context.

"Who said I was flirting? You don't know anything. You're just a stupid kid that needs to learn to listen to orders!"

"That's _all_ you think about, dude! What Star sees in you I'll never know."

Starfire gasped.

Robin's face turned a bright red. "What _Terra _ever saw in you I'll never know."

Everyone froze. That was a low blow. It didn't seem like Beast Boy could match it, but he did.

"I was wrong about you, Robin. You're _exactly_ like Slade."

Before Robin could stop himself he raised a fist.

"Stop!" Starfire cried coming between them, tears in her eyes. "Why must we fight? We are all the best of friends and I would not know what to do with myself if we were to fight like this."

Robin lowered his arm just seeming to realize that he had raised it in the first place. "Starfire…I…I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

Surprisingly she turned her back to him, crossing her arms. "I am not the one you should be telling the sorry to."

Robin scratched his head and turned towards the changeling who stared at him blankly. "I'm sorry Beast Boy. Really I am. For everything." Starfire placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a small smile of thanks but anyone with a brain could see it meant so much more.

Beast Boy, having seen this laughed in response to Robin but it was a bit forced. "Nah, it's okay, dude, it happens." He swatted his hand dismissively before turning around and distancing himself by heading in the direction of the tower.

Everyone would have completely forgotten Control Freak if he hadn't piped in. "So…do I like, still have to go to jail?"

Robin ended up taking on this task for he needed to redeem himself for becoming distracted so easily as leader. Starfire flew over to thank Cyborg for his extremely helpful battling and helped him to return the Quiz Monkey to its proper channel.

Beast Boy kept walking. It was slow and his head was bowed, for he did not want anyone else to see his face right then. Starfire couldn't have known that her feelings towards Robin was killing him slowly on the inside, but that didn't lessen the blow in the slightest. What hurt the most was knowing that he could never compete with Robin, the Boy Wonder.

He narrowed his eyes as tears began to pool in them. He just needed to get back to his room where he could be alone and where nobody could see his face like this.

But it was too late. Raven already had.

**Author's Note: **_Not too happy with this chapter. I needed a battle scene to show how the drama was affecting them; however I have to say this was by far my sloppiest scene ever. However thankfully this isn't an action, suspense, or adventure, so hopefully the drama made up for the lack of fluency._


	8. Not Entirely Alone

** Author's Note:**_ I have decided to have a sequel to this story that tells more of the developing relationship of Beast Boy and Raven in the first's POV. It will tell of Beast Boy's developing feelings for Raven and how he feels slightly envious of what Robin and Starfire are feeling for each other. It won't be out for a while but it will be called: __**"How to Become a Beast Man."**_

~0~0~0~

Beast Boy arrived back at the tower considerably earlier than the rest of his friends, or so he had thought. He wasn't really in the mood to do anything except lie in his bed and mope, and he almost never did that. The sudden realization that Starfire would never be his was almost nearly as bad as when Terra had refused to remember him, and that was like a stab in the back.

With a sigh he closed the door to his room and lay in his bed. He tried not to think in general but he found his thoughts kept slipping back to _her._ Thankfully it seemed like he was finally about to drift off…

Only to be awoken by the sound of a firm knock at his door.

For a moment he considered just shouting 'go away' to the knocker like he was ten years old but instead decided to man up and answer it. He really hoped it wasn't Starfire. He didn't think he had the strength to fake happiness to spare her feelings.

Surprisingly the knocker happened to be Raven. She was probably the last person he had expected to come near his room. She usually complained about its lack of tidiness and claimed that it smelled like old gym socks. Frankly, he had gotten used to the stench that was his sleeping quarters.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. His voice was dull, but he was genuinely curious. Raven? Of all people?

"I need to talk to you," she answered her voice matching his emotionlessness.

"Are the others back yet?"

"No."

Beast Boy blinked. Raven wanted to talk to him? This was just plain weird. "Um, okay come in." He stepped aside to let her step through the doorway but she stood still, staring into the room with distain.

"Actually…why don't you come into my room instead?" she suggested.

Normally Beast Boy would have been annoyed at her blatant disgust involving his room but instead his jaw fell open. Raven never let _anyone _into her room, except maybe Starfire during their meditating sessions. But still, he didn't ever think that she would allow _him_ to go in.

"Are you okay, Rae?" he questioned, intending to put his palm against her forehead but she jerked away and started off down the hall.

"Are you coming or not?" she asked in annoyance, her back still facing him as she retreated from his doorway. Beast Boy merely shrugged to himself and followed her.

As he stepped into her room for possibly the second time in his life, his eyes had to immediately adjust to the darkness. He was surprised by how clean it was in there. Then again this was Raven he was talking about. She wasn't exactly a slob.

The empath took a seat on her bed and just stared at him. He didn't think she would like it if he sat next to her so he opted to sit on the ground instead, right by her feet. He glanced up at her and attempted an uneasy smile.

"So…what's up?"

Her expression didn't change. "I know you like Starfire," she said simply.

Beast Boy's cheeks turned rouge and he suddenly didn't want to be there. "Look, if you called me in here to talk about how I'm not good enough, save it. I already know-"

"That wasn't it," she told him.

He blinked. "Then what was it?"

Raven allowed herself to sigh and she glanced down at her hands. "In a way…I know what you're feeling."

Beast Boy scoffed. "Yeah, right. No offense Raven, but I doubt you have a crush on Starfire."

"Don't be an idiot," she snapped, then took a deep breath, controlling herself. "It's not Starfire, it's…"

"Oh," he responded, understanding what she meant. "I guess we both had crushes on people who didn't feel the same way."

"You said 'had' that time."

Beast Boy sat up straight in surprise. "What?"

"The first time you said that you 'have a crush on Starfire' the second time you said 'had,'" she pointed out.

"Okay, grammar police."

Raven narrowed her eyes. "I mean make up your mind. Which is it?"

His shoulders slummed and he let out a great whoosh of air as he sighed. "I don't know anymore, okay? I made this whole plan up just for her to get together with Robin in the first place. I wanted to be a good friend. Now I just wish I had never fallen in love with her in the first place."

"You didn't," she said softly before she could stop herself.

"What do you mean?"

"Forget it, I didn't mean to say anything," she told him, glancing off to the side. Why couldn't she just keep her mouth shut around him?

"No, tell me. It's too late to back out. Don't make me drag you back to my room," he half teased.

Raven didn't appreciate the empty threat but she could see how she was backed into a corner now. "I…looked into your emotions. I couldn't help it. At first it was an accident, but then I was genuinely curious. The only other time I ever did that was when you were with Terra. That time I felt genuine love. I knew what it was because at the time it seemed so foreign. This time when I checked though it was…different. You might have feelings for Starfire but it isn't love."

"Oh," he said, glancing down at his lap only to raise his head once more, a questioning look in his eyes. "Why did you check when I was with Terra?"

Raven couldn't stop the blush from appearing on her face. "I-I didn't trust her. Don't judge my decisions," she told him sharply, turning away so he couldn't see her face.

"Are you in love with Robin, then?"

_Am I?_ she wondered. She closed her eyes briefly and sought out Knowledge who in turn sought out Love. The lilac cloaked Raven stared back at her blankly from Nevermore, her expression void of any emotion.

"I don't think so," she told him honestly. "But I'm…not sure."

The Changeling leaned backwards, holding himself up by the palms of his hands. "Why is this happening to us? I'm not good with all this emotional stuff. It's way too freaky and complicated for me."

Raven turned back to study his face for a moment once she was sure the redness in her cheeks had gone down. "Well, you and Starfire have your similarities and I suppose in a way so do Robin and I."

"So what you're saying is we needed like, companionship?"

"I didn't say that."

"But it was implied wasn't it?" he said, grinning that he was able to figure out what she meant before she could. "Admit it Rae, you were lonely so you started feeling the love."

"Beast Boy…" Raven replied in a warning tone.

"What? You know I'm right. At least I'm man enough to admit it."

"If you're trying to suggest that I should start calling you Beast Man-"

"Okay, you got me," he admitted. "But how _cool _would that be?!"

Raven let her lips form the ghost of a smile. "Clearly I need to lock you in the freezer."

Beast Boy laughed out loud at the pun and the two shared one of their rare yet comforting silences. He snuck a glance at her when her head was facing the side and in turn she glanced back at him once he had looked away. In truth, Raven felt like she should really get back to meditating and she was trying to figure out how to say that without flat out telling him to leave. However his next question threw her off her guard.

"So…what now?" he asked, scratching the back of his head unsurely, like he was trying to figure that out for himself too.

"What do you mean?" she questioned crossing her legs.

"I mean, I like Starfire, you like Robin, they obviously like each other and are too dumb to do anything so…do we just…forget about them?"

Raven took a deep breath. For once she didn't know what to say.

~0~0~0~

Cyborg collapsed onto the sofa as soon as he returned home with the others. He was much too exhausted considering he _had _done most of the fighting after all. Well at least it seemed like the drama was dying down. It didn't take him long to turn on the TV and then fall into a semi-coma.

Starfire giggled at his slumped posture and turned to Robin. "I feel most sorry for Cyborg. I believe he has been overworked and carries the grudge."

Robin smirked and waved his hand dismissively. "He'll get over it. Remind me to treat him next time we go out for pizza. Hey do you know where Beast Boy and Raven are?"

Starfire glanced around, frowning. "I do not know. Perhaps they are spending the quality time together?" She sure hoped so, considering they seemed the most down trodden of the bunch.

Robin snorted. "Beast Boy and Raven? Not likely. Those two don't get along too well."

"Oh, they might get along better than you think."

He frowned at her. "What do you mean?"

Starfire blinked at him and gave him a small smile, deciding to spare her suspicions. "Oh, never mind. May I ask what you plan to do for the time being?"

Robin shrugged. "Not too sure, why do you have something planned?"

She avoided his gaze. "Well I wished to watch the sunset with you. I have been meaning to ask you something."

He suddenly grew uncomfortable. "Oh, uh, okay, sure. After you."

Together they exited the room and traveled down the hallway in an uneasy silence. Starfire was trying to figure out the words she should use when questioning Robin while the Boy Wonder was practically a bundle of nerves at the thought of Starfire interrogating him. The timing seemed so sudden; however a lot had happened in the past several days.

As they finally arrived on the roof and took their usual spots the sun had just begun its decent. The two Titans were bathed in a soft orange glow. Starfire began tapping her index fingers together.

"Robin," she said uncertainly. "I wanted to offer my apologies."

He glanced at her strangely. "Why? You haven't done anything wrong, Star."

She shook her head. "But I have. I have lied to you. Beast Boy and I…we were never a-"

"I know."

Her head snapped up and she looked at him in shock. "You _knew?"_

He nodded. "I kind of had my doubts. It just seemed so sudden and all."

"Oh…"

"My question is…why though?" he asked suddenly.

Starfire blushed and avoided his gaze again. "I have not asked my question first," she told him, glad to have a change in the topic.

Robin blinked in confusion and then reluctantly nodded signaling her to go on. He grew concerned when she blushed a deep red.

"The other day, when we played the football and we fell, you…kissed me," she told him rubbing her shoulder. "I was just wondering why you did so."

The sun sank lower, engulfing them in red.

As she said her question Robin's skin color turned bright rouge so it mimicked hers.

"Uh, what was the question again?" he asked sheepishly and she rolled her eyes-something she had picked up from Beast Boy-and offered a small smile.

"You are kidding. You did not forget the question. I wish to know, and please tell me the truth," she pleaded looking into his mask causing his blush to deepen even more.

He couldn't help it. He began floundering. "I…uh…I suppose because you're so…because I'm so…I was just frustrated."

Starfire cocked her head to the side. "I do not understand."

He shrugged. "I mean I guess even though I kinda already knew about you and Beast Boy it was just ticking me off in a weird way. I needed to stand my ground."

"So you were…jealous?" she inquired a little hope tainting her voice.

"W-what? That doesn't make sense, w-why would I-I be..." he stuttered and then decided to stop altogether. It was better to say nothing than to embarrass himself. "Why does it matter?" he said quietly.

The sun's rays began to leave them as a few stars poked out.

"Well," she said hesitantly, "to answer your inquiry from before…that may have been the goal of the actions of Beast Boy and me." Tears pricked her eyes. "I-I am most ashamed. I thought you did not like me and-"

"That's ridiculous," he said sharply, and then his expression softened. He slowly and delicately placed his hand over hers. "I like you a lot. More than I should probably. You're my best friend, Star."

"I know," she said, blinking back tears. She took a deep breath. Was she really about to say this? "And you are mine. But, Robin…I see you as so much more." Her hand left his as she cupped his cheek. "Robin…I…I-"

He didn't let her say anymore. In one motion his lips softly captured hers, saying more in that one touch than he could ever express in words.

~0~0~0~

Raven stared at Beast Boy for a long time. "I suppose we just forget."

He stared back at her sadly. "I don't want to forget. It's not just Starfire, it's this _feeling_ that I have…well had. It was especially strong with Terra and I…I want it to stay like that."

She sighed. "Gar…I can't help you. In a way…I want to feel the same thing. I just…I mean with Malchior…I felt…"

"With Terra it was almost like I was…"

"_Normal,"_ they said together, and then their eyes snapped up at the same time; slight blushes had risen on their cheeks.

Beast Boy made a tiny smile. "I know what you mean. I just don't want to be alone, you know?" He risked taking her hand in a comforting gesture and was surprised when he didn't explode.

Raven didn't smile, but she did give a tiny squeeze back. "You know, someone told me once that I was never alone."

He gave her a wide grin that revealed his teeth. "He must have been really awesome."

"Or stupid," she deadpanned, still not letting go.

But maybe he was right.

**End of Part I**


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